Rokudaime: Danzo Shimura!
by Sparky61390
Summary: Rokudaime: Danzo Shimura! Danzo takes over as Hokage permanently! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

The Naruto Fanfic Challenge!

Rokudaime: Danzo Shimura!

Hey there, Fanfic readers! I asked for a Naruto Fanfic challenge, and considering I haven't seen any manga since Jiraiya first snuck into Amegakure (xD) this one works! It was my favorite suggestion, so I decided to go with it! I'd like to be very specific before I get hatemail on this one - THE EVENTS OF THE PAIN INVASION AND THE BATTLE AT AMEGAKURE ARE NOT ACCURATELY REFLECTED HERE. First, I didn't know what had happened, and second, Pain not resurrecting people made it fit my story idea better. So please, don't tell me in a review that I mixed up my details, because I did it intentionally. Thanks ^^ Please read and enjoy!

"Yes! We did it guys! We won! Akatsuki was defeated! Woohoo!" Kiba cheered happily as he and his friends led the march back into Konoha through the great gates that led into the Ninja world's largest Hidden Village. Akamaru bounced excitedly at his side, mirroring his master's enthusiasm. Sakura looked at him and hung her head slightly, exhaling a brief sigh. Naruto noticed Sakura's dismay and jogged up next to Kiba, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kiba, settle down. Let's not forget all we lost." He turned himself and Kiba around to see the procession, several shinobi carrying a dozen caskets in the middle of the returning army.

"Yeah, sorry, Naruto." Naruto nodded to Kiba and walked towards the procession. Two coffins led the way into the city, each held by four Jonin. Naruto walked between them and stopped, looking at the ground, fighting back tears. The other caskets continued past him as he wallowed in his sorrow. He knew there were dozens if not hundreds more caskets on their way home, all the heroic shinobi that had gave their lives in the fight against Pain and the Akatsuki, but it was those carried here that most profoundly struck him. Granny Tsunade was dead, the Pervy Sage too. Their caskets were leading the group, as was fitting, them being the last of the Sannin.

The next two hit Naruto possibly harder than either of the two in front; Kakashi had died fighting Pain as well. Tears welled in his eyes as his thoughts went back to the first day of Team 7, then to the bell test, their battle on the bridge against Zabuza, and then their second bell test, where Kakashi declared him an equal. Probably far worse for him than Kakashi, was Iruka, because no one shared his grief. When he thought about Iruka, all he could think about was back in his academy days, when no one believed in him except for Iruka, and he felt more alone now than he ever did.

The third pair of coffins held two chunin, and these blows each felt like spitting into an ocean compared to those that preceded them, but they were felt keenly all the same. Shino and Hinata hadn't made it home in one piece either. Even if they were those he was the least close with among the Konoha 11, he had known them almost as long as he'd known he wanted to be a ninja. They'd helped him through hard times all the same, just as everyone else had. Hinata had always struck him as weird, until it had been revealed to him by Jiraiya that she clearly had feelings for him. This had been shortly after the last time he ever saw her alive.

He didn't know the rest anywhere near as well; Might Guy had been killed, along with Kurenai. All the team leaders of the Konoha 11 had been killed in battle, in service to their village, which is probably the way any one of them would have wanted to go. Might Guy was said to have been surrounded by the broken bodies of Amegakure's ninja, having released all his gates when he realized his death was imminent. Kurenai had gone on a deadly revenge mission for her lost love, Asuma. Anko as well, she had counted on her curse seal to pull her out of a tight spot, but just as Sasuke had lost his as a unforeseen side effect from Orochimaru's death, she had lost hers, and it had cost her dearly. Sai had fallen as well, and again, although he hadn't known him very well, they had fought alongside each other, and this was akin to the straw that broke the camel's back. He slowly fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, imagining all the important people to him that had passed. A mass funeral was going to be held, and it didn't seem fair to him. These were important people, not people to be read from a list. It was insulting. He slammed his fist into the ground in anger, tears still dripping to the ground.

"Hey, Naruto." He looked up to see Sakura crouching in front of him, her eyes looking into his. She held a forced smile. "If I hold you up, and you hold me up, we might just be able to make it into the village without making fools out of ourselves." Naruto choked on a laugh, smiling up at Sakura.

"Alright, deal." Sakura had been possibly the most effected by any of this. She'd finally caught up to Sasuke, after everything had been said and done. Naruto had been there, he recalled it as clearly as if it was happening right now.

_ "Sakura...Naruto. I'm giving you a fair warning, because once, a long time ago, we were friends. Consider this my repayment for everything I've put you through." Sakura had tears in her eyes as she clinged to Sasuke, barely aware of what he was saying. Naruto's eyes were still hard, and he clenched a kunai tightly, prepared to take Sasuke out if he tried anything. "I've learned some things about Konoha, and I'm going to destroy them. Every last Leaf village shinobi, from the Hokage to the lowest chunin. I'm going to kill them all. I would suggest you stay out of my way." He pushed Sakura away and began to walk. Sakura stared at him, open mouthed._

_ "But, Sasuke..."_

_ "No, Sakura. What did you think? When Konoha was victorious, I'd just come home? Like this was all about you? Well it's not. After what they've done to my family, after what the village did to my family...after what they did to me, they deserve no better. Goodbye, Sakura." Naruto had remained motionless and silent until now. He stepped forward and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. _

_ "Sasuke!" He called out, his voice ringing clearly through the air. He didn't respond, he simply turned his head over his shoulder to regard Naruto. "If you're going to destroy Konoha down to her last shinobi, then you'd better understand that I'll be the first. Don't expect any mercy either. After what you've done to the village, to Sakura, and to me, I'm done with you. If you come anywhere near Konoha, I'll kill you."_

_ "I look forward to it, Naruto Uzumaki. I trust you won't disappoint." He grinned and walked off, the fog quickly enveloping him as his image faded._

The entire Konoha 11, if not the entire village, was ready to kill Sasuke on sight now. He was a missing-nin, and a murderer on several accounts. Sakura helped Naruto to his feet, and they shared a short smile before walking towards the city. The entire army procession had passed them, and the road to the village was quiet.

"The funeral is starting as soon as they bring all the caskets to the site. We should get going." Sakura said, and so he nodded. They headed for the base of the Hokage monument, where the funeral was already underway.

Danzo Shimura stood at the base of the monument, speaking on the behalf of the dead. "It is with great sorrow, that we here today pay our respects to the dead. Among those dead is our beloved Hokage, Tsunade, Godaime, who gave her life for her village, as any Hokage, or any citizen of Konoha, would have likewise done. Those of us that live should not mourn the dead, for they fought in service to a greater good, and full well knew the dangers of their missions. On the contrary, we should be celebrating their lives, and all of the good deeds each of them has done in service to Konoha." He continued to list each of the dead, starting with those of highest rank, and moving downward. Sobs were heard throughout the audience, muffling his speech slightly.

The Konoha 11, or Konoha 9 as it now was, stood together, supporting each other as they had since the beginning of their careers. Neji still stood as the only Jonin, however it was widely considered that they should be promoted for their valor against the enemy.

"I can't believe that Shino and Hinata died. I should've done something!" Ino said through choking tears, and Shikamaru placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can't blame yourself, Ino. The responsibility to every dead shinobi falls on the shoulders of their squad leader. I was in charge of the Konoha 11's entrance into Amegakure."

"Shikamaru, it's not your fault either. It's that Pain freak's fault. The world is a better place now that he's dead. He wanted to control all the tailed beasts, and look what it did!" Kiba said angrily, clenching his fist.

"Psychopaths are nothing without those willing to blindly follow a cause. All those s-class criminals each had a chance to prevent it, but they were in business with a man they didn't understand." Sakura stated softly. "They just took their next chance to ruin lives in stride."

"Well they're all gone too. Akatsuki is defeated down to it's core. Even Orochimaru is dead. Maybe now Konoha will know peace." Choji said hopefully.

"No, they're not all gone. There's one left, the one who started it all."

"But Pain's dead, Naruto. Sakura was there, she proclaimed him dead, and she's the best medical-nin in the village!" Ten-ten said, fear clearly in her voice.

"Not Pain, Madara Uchiha. The founder of the Uchiha clan, and the founder of Akatsuki. He's more dangerous than the rest of the Akatsuki put together. Even the demon inside of me is afraid of him." Naruto recalled his first encounter with Sasuke after their nearly fatal battle, where Kyuubi stated that Madara's chakra was 'More sinister than his own.'

"It is with a heavy heart, and great confidance in the people of Konoha, that I assume the mantle of the Hokage, the Rokudaime." Danzo finished his speech and stepped back, and two attendants presented him with a cloak and hat, they appeared almost exactly like the Sandaime's, with the exception that the fire pattern was black.

"What!?" Ino cried out, but her voice was drowned out by the cheering that followed the proclamation.

"That bastard, he turned a funeral into his own promotion ceremony." Naruto growled through bared teeth.

"It's not that, Naruto. Everyone knows that Tsunade only took the job until you were old enough to become Hokage! That should be you!"

"Well, I'm not old enough yet, but I doubt he'll just give it up when I am."

"Guys, he's a decorated war hero, and an elder of the village. He's a natural choice." Shikamaru reasoned.

"Are you suggesting that he's the right man for the job?" Neji asked, clearly in contempt.

"No, only that he's a natural choice, especially considering the most notably dead. Who else would you choose? Jiraiya, Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, they're all dead. For those who aren't aware of what a dirtbag he is, he's a great choice."

"I guess you're right, Shikamaru." Kiba said with a sigh. "I still don't like it."

"Agreed." The rest of the group said in unison.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! More to come, I promise! Please review and pass it on to your fanfic loving friends! Hearing your comments (constructive criticism is welcomed) makes it all worthwhile! If I don't know anyone is reading it, I may get discouraged! I'm a nerd, we have very fragile egos ^^ Thanks for reading and again, please review!


	2. Chapter 2 Comfort and Closure

The Naruto Fanfic Challenge!

Rokudaime: Danzo Shimura!

Chapter 2: Comfort and Closure

Hey guys! I want to thank all of you that read and posted to the first chapter! There was one suggestion that I get to more action and I promise there will be some as the story progresses! However, I need to lay the foundation of the story so bear with me if it's just a tad slow to begin with! Please enjoy!

The crowd dispersed as the ceremony ended, after all the dead had been placed into suitable graves. With the 2 invasions of Konoha in the past 5 years, and the final battle at Amegakure, Konoha's shinobi burial site had doubled in size. The Konoha 9 were the last to disperse, exchanging solemn handshakes and nods among the boys, mixed with the rampant sobbing and frantic hugs of the girls. Naruto stood alone, separated from the group as they dispersed. He was facing the monument, but his eyes were looking far beyond it, lost completely in space. After the rest had left, Sakura walked over to Naruto and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ok, Naruto?"

"I'm fine."

"It's going to start raining soon."

"I'll be fine."

"Alright. Will you be at your place later?"

"Pain destroyed my home."

"Is that why you're staying out here?"

"I have nowhere else to go."

"Yeah. Sorry, Naruto."

"For what? You did nothing wrong."

"I'm sorry that I was so useless for all those years. Maybe if I hadn't been so weak, Sasuke wouldn't have left."

"And Pain still would have destroyed half of Konoha. None of this is your fault, Sakura. Sasuke needs to make peace with himself before he can make peace with us."

"I don't think it's ever gonna happen, Naruto."

"What, Sasuke making peace with himself?"

"Yeah. I think he's gone, Naruto."

"He's been gone awhile."

"No, I mean gone. I don't think he's ever coming back."

"Are you giving up on him?"

"I think you're right, Naruto. Sasuke needs to make peace with himself before he can make peace with us. He was already a mess on the inside, even before Orochimaru messed with him. All the things he's done...If there is a Sasuke in there that we even want back, he hates himself now more than he ever hated Itachi. He's never coming back. He'll never make peace with that."

"You're probably right."

"This is probably the first thing you've ever given up on, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You never give up, ever. And now you're giving up on Sasuke. I can't believe it."

"Everyone breaks their rules eventually."

"Come stay with me tonight, Naruto."

"What?"

"Come stay, at my house tonight." The clouds finally gave it up and began to pour with all their might, showering the smoldering crater that was Konoha.

"Come stay at my house. Let's go." She grabbed his wrist and started pulling him along, toward the city, toward the safety of shelter.

"Lord Hokage, what will be your first official act as Hokage?"

"Well, it should be something to promote the safety of the village. Right now, we are at our weakest in decades. We must strengthen our village."

"An excellent point, Lord Hokage. What have you decided on?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, the nine-tailed fox, is to be exiled from the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Can I get you anything?" Sakura asked as she poured herself a drink. Naruto sat on a bed across the room, sulking. He didn't respond for a long silent moment, the only sound the rain pounding on the windows.

"Naruto?" Still, there was no response.

"Naruto, don't lose yourself in your own mind. That's how it started with Sasuke, I can't lose you too. With Kakashi gone, we're all that's left of Team 7."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm fine." She looked upset by the decision, and turned back to pouring her own glass. "Thank you, though." She smiled and poured a second glass. She turned to walk towards where he was sitting and handed him the cup.

"Thank you, Sakura." He gave it one short sip and set it down on the ground. He finally looked up and around the room. He was sitting on a bed that was no more than a mat, he was maybe four inches off the floor. The walls were simply decorated with what appeared to be excessive notes on shinobi lessons. Across from him was a small kitchen, with a refridgerator, a stove, and a few cupboards, and slightly aside from that was a small table with a single chair set next to it, with a small television set on the table, as well as a small, simple flower arrangement.

"It's a nice place you have here."

"You like it? I moved out of my parents place when I started training under Lady Tsunade." She smiled and sighed. "My parents were never fully okay with me being a Kunoichi, so when I started training heavily every day, I moved out to save them the grief."

"I see."

"Naruto, can you just talk to me? Enough of these two word responses and small talk. I know that everything that's happened is bothering you, so just talk to me. It helps." She looked almost embarrassed at her sudden outburst.

"Sakura..." Naruto exhaled for a long moment.

"Yeah?"

"You've changed a lot, you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Normally you'd have just hit me and called me an idiot." He smiled at her and laughed. Sakura chuckled as well. She slapped the back of his head playfully and he just laughed harder. He fell backwards onto the bed, holding his sides as he laughed. It went on for a good minute or so as he clutched his ribs, pain etched into his face despite the raucous laughter.

"Naruto!" She nudged his stomach."Stop laughing, I was trying to have a serious conversation!"

"I'm sorry Sakura, it's just..." He sat up and turned to look at her. Her head was turned away from him, her arms crossed over her chest."I've known you'd changed ever since I came back from my training. I know I always had a crush on you, but...Since I came back..."

"Since I came back what?" She turned back to face him, and he immediately leaned in to kiss her. At first her eyes lit up in surprise and her hands defensively went to push him away, but she settled and slid her hands onto his cheeks, kissing him back. He ran his fingers through her hair, gently pulling her further into the kiss. They started and stopped, kissing in between ragged breaths.

"Wait - Naruto." She placed her hands on his chest and pulled away just slightly, leaning forward, resting her forehead on his. She spoke in a whisper. "This feels like...This feels like this is just because of all that's happened. Like this wouldn't happen normally."

"Sakura." She had started to continue but he cut her off. "It's not like that." He smiled. "It's never been like that, it's never been anything but me being obsessed with you." His smile continued as he talked and placed his hands ever so gently on her cheeks. He kissed her, briefly, just enough for their lips to barely touch. "I think that maybe, since all we've been through...You're the only person that cares about me. Everyone else is gone."

"But the others?"

"The others are my friends, but...Everyone in the village still has this predisposition towards me, even the other guys. You're all I've got, Sakura, and ever since I got back...And ever since we started working together again, as Team 7, I think that it's more than a crush. It's been more than a crush for a long time."

"Naruto..."

"When I was training with Jiraiya, a lot of the time, you're what got me through the hardest training."

"Naruto, I wasn't even there."

"But I was thinking about you, a lot. And now that we're here, and everything's settled down...I think it's time I was completely honest with you, Sakura."

"Naruto..."

"I'm in love with you, Sakura, and for now, that's all that matters to me." He pulled her in again and kissed her, long and hard. She didn't argue it, and draped her arms loosely around his neck. She slowly leaned back, pulling him with her, to which he gave no resistance. She rested her head on a small pillow, her arms still draped around Naruto. He lay on top of her, kissing her fervently, barely giving himself time to breath. One hand found it on her side, his other caressing her thigh, pulling her leg tight up against him. She moved her legs, now cradling his efforts, kissing him back, gripping his damp mop of yellow hair and pulling him into a tighter kiss. The rain quickly turned into a thunderstorm, light occasionally flashing through the window to illuminate them more keenly after Sakura had reached out to turn off her single lamp. The thunder clapped, and the rain continued to beat on the small building furiously, but it did nothing to stop the efforts of the two teenagers, who were still locked in each other's embrace, for hours into the night.

Thanks for reading! It's not the literal definition of action but if you guys aren't getting any in the story, at least Naruto can! ;) Anyway, again I hope you enjoyed reading! Please, read and review and I'll be back soon with more!


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